Published:On Saturday morning, Chinatown hosted the first official debate of the municipal election cycle, as the five candidates discussed solutions to alleviate the various issues in and surrounding Chinatown in Vancouver.
First up was incumbent Mayor Kennedy Stewart, who discussed the COVID-19 pandemic for a bit too long, only getting into his solution with about 15 seconds left, and being cut off by the timer. Colleen Hardwick voiced a similar sentiment, saying that she believed the area needs more police officers on the ground, does not support the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users doubling as security, and says that she’d see to conducting an audit of spending since public safety in the area has gotten worse despite an increase in budget.
Mark Marissen then said that he would be open to more officers patrolling the streets, and added that he’d want to clean up the streets — literally — in order for the area to be more welcoming.